Letter: If Ferguson shooting was legally justified, we need to change the law

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Brown family is Michael Brown, 18, who was shot and killed in a confrontation with a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9, 2014.(Photo: Uncredited)

Since the Ferguson grand jury decided that the use of lethal force was justified by the law, then, simply put, we need to change the law. The grand jury was a flawed venue for change and justice in this sense. The shooting of Michael Brown was basically a death sentence for a petty crime handed down by one officer acting as judge and jury. That is not justice. Justice is when the punishment fits the crime. There should be no legal justification that a petty crime can result in a death. When you add into the mix that these asymmetric applications of force are more often employed against minorities than Caucasians, then the outrage in Ferguson is justified.

I would like to see the residents of Missouri pass a voter ballot initiative to restrict the use of lethal force by officers of the law only in the event of "certain lethal harm" to an officer or another citizen. For example, justified uses of lethal force by law enforcement could include shots fired first by a suspect, or a suspect verified and documented (e.g. video) to be armed and uncooperative. Yes, that will put our law enforcement at increased risk, but law enforcement is an inherently dangerous occupation. The laws right now are tilted to protect the officers and not citizens, as evidenced by the grand jury decision. Simply put, getting punched in the face is not a valid justification for the use of lethal force, but apparently our laws currently allows for this. There are other non-lethal approaches that could have been used, and the law needs to codify this "common sense." So, I would hope the community sees a venue for change through changes in the law.

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